Impossible Beauty

Melissa Louise Johnson
  • 5.0 (2)
  • SOCIETY & CULTURE
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

The brand of beauty we are so often sold is way too small. It divides and dis-integrates us. Melissa Louise Johnson is on a mission to re-discover authentic beauty. Not the counterfeit kind reserved for the toned and airbrushed, but a lasting kind of beauty. Eternal and sacred. Living and moving all around us. Join Melissa as she interviews men and women who exude internal and eternal beauty in order to reshape cultural scripts. It's time we re-discover what beauty truly is.

  1. Episode 188: Winfield Bevins-How Beauty Will Save the World

    16 HRS AGO

    Episode 188: Winfield Bevins-How Beauty Will Save the World

    It was an encounter with beauty that changed Winfield Bevins’ life. As a result, Winfield quit his job and founded Creo Arts, a non-profit that exists to bring beauty, goodness, and truth to the world through the arts. Dr. Winfield Bevins is an internationally recognized author and artist. He is also an affiliate professor at several academic institutions and artist-in-residence at Asbury Theological Seminary, where he champions the integration of art, theology, and mission.   In today’s episode, Winfield discusses his latest book, entitled How Beauty Will Save the World: Recovering the Power of the Arts for the Christian Life. Specifically, he highlights a renewed longing for beauty and transcendence he’s noticed recently, both inside and outside the church, as well as a Renaissance of the arts in communities of faith. Winfield also shares what art teaches all of us, how beauty brings hope into the world, and why we are all invited to be missionaries of beauty. Buy Melissa L. Johnson's book, Soul-Deep Beauty: Fighting for Our True Worth in a World Demanding Flawless, here. Learn more about Impossible Beauty and join the community here.

    53 min
  2. Episode 187: Tara Beth Leach- Connecting with the Origin of Beauty

    MAR 3

    Episode 187: Tara Beth Leach- Connecting with the Origin of Beauty

    How might our days and conception of beauty change, if we started our morning with God, the author and origin of beauty itself? This is the exact topic we tackle in today’s conversation with Tara Beth Leach.  Tara Beth is an author, speaker, and the senior pastor at Good Shepherd Church in Naperville, Illinois. In today’s conversation, she shares about her latest book, The Great Morning Revolution: Daily Spiritual Practices for Meaningful Moments with God. Specifically, Tara Beth discusses how an invitation from God to connect with Him in the morning changed her life, rhythms, and perspectives amidst a desolate season of loss. She also shares how connecting with God in this daily rhythm not only can make us more attentive to God, but can help us live into a truer understanding and experience of beauty. As Tara Beth says, “We were made to be in relationship with the most beautiful one of all.” May our mornings be an opportunity to connect with the One our hearts are made for. Buy Melissa L. Johnson's book, Soul-Deep Beauty: Fighting for Our True Worth in a World Demanding Flawless, here. Learn more about Impossible Beauty and join the community here.

    37 min
  3. Episode 186: Anna Rollins- Lent, Self-Control, & Diet Culture

    FEB 17

    Episode 186: Anna Rollins- Lent, Self-Control, & Diet Culture

    Anna Rollins is the author of Famished: On Food, Sex, and Growing Up as a Good Girl. Anna’s debut memoir examines the rhyming scripts of diet culture and evangelical purity culture, both of which direct women to fear their own bodies and appetites. Anna is an award-winning instructor who taught English in higher education for nearly 15 years, and her writing has appeared in outlets like The New York Times, Slate, Electric Literature, Salon, Joyland, and more. In today’s episode, Anna shares how societal messages around beauty and body image contributed to her struggles with disordered eating. We also discuss Anna’s research on purity and diet culture’s impacts on women’s relationships with their bodies and food, as well as how the concept of self-control might be helpfully framed as we enter the season of Lent. My hope is that as we name and shed unhelpful theologies related to food and our bodies, we might find more freedom, healing, and wholeness. Buy Melissa L. Johnson's book, Soul-Deep Beauty: Fighting for Our True Worth in a World Demanding Flawless, here. Learn more about Impossible Beauty and join the community here.

    42 min
  4. Episode 185: Dr. Chinwe Williams-Building Emotional and Body Image Resilience in Kids and Teens

    FEB 4

    Episode 185: Dr. Chinwe Williams-Building Emotional and Body Image Resilience in Kids and Teens

    Kids and teens these days face all kinds of stressors, including pressures around beauty and body image. In today’s episode I talk with Dr. Chinwé Williams all about the power of connection in building both emotional resilience and body image resilience in kids and teen.   Dr. Chinwé Williams is a speaker, best-selling author, and Licensed and Board-Certified therapist whose expertise includes child and adolescent development, women’s wellness, & anxiety and trauma management. In today’s conversation, we discuss Dr. Williams' most recent book, entitled Calm, Courageous, and Connected: A Parent's Guide to Raising Emotionally Resilient Kids. Specifically, she discusses how and why building emotional resilience is a relational posture, how she sees beauty and body image pressures impacting kids and teens, and the emotional impact of young people getting the message that their value comes from their appearance. Dr. Williams' insights are both wise and encouraging. May you leave this conversation feeling empowered to see and connect more deeply with the young people in your life. Buy Melissa L. Johnson's book, Soul-Deep Beauty: Fighting for Our True Worth in a World Demanding Flawless, here. Learn more about Impossible Beauty and join the community here.

    53 min
  5. Episode 184: Oona Hanson-Raising Girls Who Are Always On Show

    JAN 21

    Episode 184: Oona Hanson-Raising Girls Who Are Always On Show

    On this week’s episode, we talk about current societal trends impacting women and girls, leading them to believe that they are always on show and that the way they look is the most important thing about them. Thankfully, we have a trusted companion to do so in Oona Hanson.  Oona Hanson is an educator and parenting coach. Through her writing, workshops, and private consultations, she supports families in raising kids who have a healthy relationship with food and their body. She has been featured in television programs, like Good Morning America, and her work has been featured in various publications, including People, USA Today, US News & World Report, Today, CNN, and The Washington Post.  In our time together, we unpack a recent article Oona wrote on her Substack, entitled, The Life of a Girl Who’s Always on Show: Help Your Daughter Navigate a World That’s Constantly Judging Her Looks. Specifically, we talk about the showgirl imagery in Taylor Swift’s latest album, how we might interact with the next generation around the prevalence of weight loss ads, and the recent TikTok, now banned hashtag, #skinnytoc. Buy Melissa L. Johnson's book, Soul-Deep Beauty: Fighting for Our True Worth in a World Demanding Flawless, here. Learn more about Impossible Beauty and join the community here.

    50 min
  6. Episode 183: David Taylor-God’s Spirit in Beauty and the Arts

    JAN 6

    Episode 183: David Taylor-God’s Spirit in Beauty and the Arts

    On this podcast, I am committed to helping listeners (and myself) understand beauty in its truest, most life-giving sense. And that is why I am so excited to start the new year with David Taylor as today’s guest. David Taylor is a theologian, author, speaker, priest, and director of initiatives in art and faith. As Associate Professor of Theology & Culture at Fuller Theological Seminary, he has lectured widely on the arts, from Thailand to South Africa. He has also written for The Washington Post, Image Journal, Theology Today, Worship, Religion News Service, and Christianity Today, among others. Additionally, in 2016 he produced a short film with Bono and Eugene Peterson, entitled Bono and Eugene Peterson: THE PSALMS. In today’s episode, David not only gives us a behind-the-scenes look at his class on beauty at Fuller Seminary, but also shares his own biblically grounded understanding of what true beauty is. David also uncovers lies about beauty he sees at work in Western society, discusses how we might navigate aging in a broken world, and helps us see how we can know God in and through the arts. My hope is that this conversation will leave you feeling deeply encouraged, as you are reminded that true beauty is alive and at work in the world. David's latest book: Naming the Spirit: Pneumatology Through the Arts  Buy Melissa L. Johnson's book, Soul-Deep Beauty: Fighting for Our True Worth in a World Demanding Flawless, here. Learn more about Impossible Beauty and join the community here.

    1h 1m
  7. Episode 182: Trillia Newbell- How Christmas Changes Everything

    2025-12-02

    Episode 182: Trillia Newbell- How Christmas Changes Everything

    Amidst the busyness of the Christmas season, it can be hard to take the time to slow down and contemplate the breadth and depth of Jesus’s birth. In today’s episode, Trillia Newbell helps us do just that.  Trillia is the author of numerous books, including Bible studies, children’s books, and non-fiction titles, such as her latest book: Behold, The Lamb of God Has Come: Celebrating the 25 Days of Christmas Together. Trillia also supports other writers as the Acquisitions Director at Moody Publishers.  In today’s conversation, Trillia invites us to reflect on the character and work of Jesus, as well as how the Christmas story helps us persevere in faith amidst a broken world. Trillia also helps us see why societal beauty standards are unhelpful and, instead, invites us to embrace the beauty of diversity. My hope is that this conversation may open your mind and heart anew to the beauty and hope that the Christmas season brings. Buy Melissa L. Johnson's book, Soul-Deep Beauty: Fighting for Our True Worth in a World Demanding Flawless, here. Learn more about Impossible Beauty and join the community here.

    38 min
  8. Episode 181: Joyce Rupp- The Gifts of Aging

    2025-11-18

    Episode 181: Joyce Rupp- The Gifts of Aging

    Amidst the inreasing pressures of beauty culture to run from any hint of aging, it makes sense that cosmetic procedures and skincare products are surging in popularity. And, yet I wonder if we might meet aging in a different way. And that’s where Joyce Rupp comes in. Joyce Rupp is the author of numerous bestselling books, an international retreat leader, a conference speaker, was a volunteer with hospice for fifteen years, and is a member of the Servites or Servants of Mary community. In today’s conversation, Joyce helps us see aging from a more life-giving perspective and expands our view of what beauty is and what role it plays in our transformation. Joyce also shares about her own faith journey and how she persists in knowing God as good and beautiful amidst a very broken world. May this conversation ground you in knowing a deeper beauty that is already present in you and all around you. Buy Melissa L. Johnson's book, Soul-Deep Beauty: Fighting for Our True Worth in a World Demanding Flawless, here. Learn more about Impossible Beauty and join the community here.

    51 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

The brand of beauty we are so often sold is way too small. It divides and dis-integrates us. Melissa Louise Johnson is on a mission to re-discover authentic beauty. Not the counterfeit kind reserved for the toned and airbrushed, but a lasting kind of beauty. Eternal and sacred. Living and moving all around us. Join Melissa as she interviews men and women who exude internal and eternal beauty in order to reshape cultural scripts. It's time we re-discover what beauty truly is.

Information

  • Creator
    Melissa Louise Johnson
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2026
  • Episodes
    188
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright Melissa Louise Johnson
  • Show Website
    Impossible Beauty

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